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Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi, later known as Ben Kenobi during his exile, was a legendary Jedi Master who played a significant role in the fate of the galaxy during the waning days of the Galactic Republic. He was the mentor of both Anakin and Luke Skywalker, training both in the ways of the Force. He had a long and tumultuous career that helped shape the fate of the entire galaxy. Born in 57 BBY on Stewjon, Kenobi was taken as the Jedi apprentice of Qui-Gon Jinn and traveled on many missions with him. In 32 BBY, Kenobi became the first Jedi in approximately 1,000 years to defeat a Sith Lord in combat when he defeated Darth Maul during the Second Battle of Theed. In 22 BBY, Kenobi found the Clone army on Kamino, and he was captured and almost executed in the Petranaki arena on Geonosis, along with Skywalker and Senator Padmé Amidala. The newly arrived clone troopers rescued them, but the following battle began the galaxy-wide Clone Wars. Kenobi fought during many battles of the Clone Wars, and was one of the last members of the Jedi High Council. Even after his apprentice became a Jedi Knight, Kenobi and Skywalker fought together many times, becoming a widely renowned pair. Kenobi earned the sobriquet "The Negotiator" through his charm and calm demeanor as well as the quiet threat of his abilities with a lightsaber. Later in the war, Skywalker saved his life in a battle fought over Coruscant, after which Kenobi killed General Grievous on Utapau. However, he was soon betrayed, as Commander Cody, following Order 66, opened fire on him. Kenobi met up with his old mentor Grand Master Yoda, and the two realized that not many Jedi had survived the attacks. The two returned to the Jedi Temple, where they learned the agonizing truth: Skywalker, now lost to the dark side of the Force, had led an attack to kill all Jedi remaining in the Jedi Temple, following orders from Chancellor Palpatine, the ruler of the successor of the Republic, the Galactic Empire. Kenobi traveled to Mustafar in order to duel his former apprentice and friend, now the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Finally, Vader was taken in by a storm of lava, and Kenobi remorsefully left him to die. While Yoda, one of the few other Jedi to survive the Great Jedi Purge, went into exile, Kenobi took the son of Skywalker and Amidala, Luke Skywalker, to live with the Lars family on Tatooine. He became a friend of Skywalker as he grew up, but he did not tell him who he actually was. Kenobi re-emerged in 0 BBY, shortly before the Battle of Yavin. After Leia Organa was captured by the Empire, she contacted him desperately. Kenobi gave Luke Skywalker his father's lightsaber and traveled with him to Alderaan in Han Solo's Millennium Falcon, only to realize that the Death Star had destroyed the planet. Kenobi entered the Death Star with Luke, Han, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2, in order to rescue Organa, but Darth Vader sensed his presence. In a duel with his former apprentice, Kenobi gave up his life to allow Luke to escape, vanishing into the Force the moment Vader struck him down. Three years later, his spirit returned to Luke Skywalker to lead him to Dagobah in order to learn from Master Yoda. He even carried out his role as a mentor to the younger Jedi beyond his natural life through use of the Force, remaining a significant influence on Luke Skywalker's foundation of the New Jedi Order. Personality and traits In his youth, the loyal and dedicated Obi-Wan Kenobi possessed a dry sense of humor and sarcastic wit, yet he dealt with a lot of emotional anxiety. Yoda said that he sensed Qui-Gon Jinn's defiance in him, but spoke very highly of him nonetheless. Jinn himself reflected upon Obi-Wan's considerable knowledge and potential. Despite having been apprenticed to the radical Qui-Gon Jinn, Kenobi was relatively orthodox in his views. Kenobi had a strong friendship with Clone commander Cody, who saved his life aboard an Arquitens-class light cruiser when the corridor was blown off by General Grievous. Cody reached out and grabbed Obi Wan's hand before Kenobi was sucked into the vacuum of space. As a young Jedi Knight, Kenobi was cynical, though wise beyond his years. His humble and soft-spoken demeanor belied his warrior prowess. Despite his numerous complaints during flight, he was also a skilled pilot. In many ways, he represented the strength of the old Jedi Order: steadfast, selfless, and modest. His later skill at resolving disputes without a single battle would earn him the sobriquet The Negotiator. Over time, Kenobi lost some of his youthful audacity and assumed the role of a more cautious and conservative mentor to Anakin Skywalker, who was in many ways his opposite in personality. Kenobi carefully measured his actions in any situation, garnering him the aforementioned nom de guerre. Kenobi was also known to be an accomplished storyteller. While hiding in the Jundland Wastes in his later years, he appeared as a kindly and eccentric old hermit (or, in Owen Lars' words, "That wizard is just a crazy old man") to those not familiar with the ways of the Jedi. In his final days, Kenobi retained his traits of patience and foresight as well as gaining some of the boldness reminiscent of his youth. Obi-Wan often thought out plans and strategies rather than leaping into action. He would usually place his hand on his chin or stroke his beard as he thought. This was a common trait of the Jedi Master, one that his apprentice Anakin Skywalker did not practice very often. Powers and abilities Despite his preference for diplomacy, Master Kenobi was one of the greatest swordsmen and Force-users in Jedi history. As a young Jedi Padawan, Kenobi showed much potential, through feats such as resisting a memory wipe (being renewed) at the hands of the Syndicat, and defeating a corrupt Bruck Chun in a lightsaber duel. He accomplished the prior by placing Force barriers all around his mind, something only a Jedi Master should be able to do. This displayed not only his strength in the Force but also his strength of character. Lightsaber training Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the greatest lightsaber duelists of his time.Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (novel) A natural swordsman, Kenobi's ability was evident even at a young age.Episode I: The Visual Dictionary During his training under Qui-Gon Jinn, Kenobi chose to specialize in Ataru,Fightsaber: Jedi Lightsaber Combat his relatively advanced skills reinforced by his youth and stamina, which helped compensate for his relative inexperience.Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (novel) While he relied on the acrobatics to flank his opponents, and to facilitate his strong penchant for physical attacks, Kenobi largely eschewed the more impractical elements of Ataru, such as the open flourishes, favoring more simplistic and direct moves.Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace In addition to Ataru, Kenobi also studied Shien, as evidenced by his accurate blast-deflections and his occasional use for the reversed grip, Niman, to develop his ability to incorporate Force abilities into his fighting form,The Jedi Path: A Manual For Students of the Force (real-life book) and the martial art Tae-Jitsu, his degree of skill in the art being enough to implement into his fighting style flawlessly enough to break bones, as he did to Savage Oppress.Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan: The Aurorient Express Kenobi also displayed an early interest in studying Form VII, specifically Mace Windu's Vaapad variant, but Qui-Gon refused to let him study it. Ultimately, Qui-Gon Jinn's death due to Ataru's lack of defensive capabilities prompted Kenobi to abandon Form IV as his dominant style, but still mastered it nonetheless. Kenobi began studying the defensive Soresu, intending to create a hybrid between it and Ataru to compensate for Form IV's aforementioned lack of defense.The Jedi Path: A Manual For Students of the Force (real-life book) Though it eventually became his primary fighting form, he did still implement elements of Ataru into his swordplay from time to time.Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (novel)Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary He was also known to use a spinning attack move in combat.Star Wars: Head-to-Head Ten years study into Form III resulted in an advanced skillset, and Kenobi became one of the most esteemed swordsmen in Jedi history. His tight defense and energy-efficient moves stood him in good stead against masterful gunslingers such as Jango Fett, or during the chaotic firefights of the Battle of Geonosis.Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones However Kenobi's Soresu proved unable to effectively counter Dooku's skills during their confrontation, much to the latter's disappointment. Dooku's elegant Makashi strokes and jabs worked away at Kenobi's defense; many of Kenobi's cutting parries missing Dooku's blade entirely; while his feints confused the Jedi and forced him to retreat, ultimately bringing him down.Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (novel) Over the course of the Clone Wars, Kenobi continued to develop his techniques. His blast-deflection skills were further developed to the point where Kenobi could literally walk unscathed through hornet-swarms of blasterfire, single-handedly deflecting blasts from all directions simultaneously. And thousands of hours in sparring and practice sessions considerably advanced his skills as a duelist as well.Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (novel) Even unarmed, Kenobi was a formidable opponent, evading enemy attacks and working his way inside their defense to physically assault them, as he did against Asajj Ventress and Pre Vizsla.Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film) In addition to Soresu, Kenobi would also master and incorporate elements of Shii-Cho and Niman into his fighting style,Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (novel)Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary as well as appearing to have been well versed in the art of Jar'Kai dual-blade combat, as he demonstrated numerous times in battle, even to such an extent as defeating both Savage Oppress and Darth Maul simultaneously in battle, wielding his own and Adi Gallia's lightsabers.Star Wars Republic 60: Hate and Fear .]] By the end of the war, Kenobi's study into Soresu had resulted in absolute mastery of the style. In his final duel with Dooku, Kenobi caught the Count off-guard with his advanced application, with Dooku making note of Kenobi's simplicity and efficiency, but also his bewildering speed and precision. Forced to retreat, Dooku only prevailed by catching Kenobi off guard, grasping the Jedi master with the Force and hurling him across the room.Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (novel) In his duel with Grievous, Kenobi provided one of the purest applications of Soresu. His blade's intricate pattern of blocks and parries moved just fast enough to subtly interfere with Grievous' multiple strikes, while his slight dodges and shifts of stance allowing him to simply evade the rest. As Grievous ramped up the intensity of his assault, Kenobi countered by merely altering the angle of his parries, cutting off two of Grievous' mechanical wrists.Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (novel) Kenobi proved to be one of the only Jedi able to engage Darth Vader and survive, as his Soresu mastery perfectly countered Vader's angry Form V. Kenobi simply gave ground before Vader's onslaught, waiting until Vader grew frustrated and overconfident, and then dismembering the hapless Sith Lord when his defense lapsed.Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (novel) By the time of his rematch with Vader in 0 BBY however, Kenobi had gone for seventeen years without a duel, and his skills had atrophied somewhat. Despite this, he remained a formidable Form III practitioner, and was able to hold his own against Vader for a short time. However, Vader had clearly learned his lesson on Mustafar and opted for a cautious, controlled assault instead of an all-out attack. With no openings to exploit, Kenobi was forced to simply counter Vader's blows. Due to his age, lack of practice, and the sheer physical force of Vader's attacks, Kenobi quickly tired. Rather than continue the fight, he opted to sacrifice his physical self and become one with the Force.Fightsaber: Jedi Lightsaber Combat In this way, he taught both of his Skywalker students one final lesson. Force powers Though Kenobi focused largely on lightsaber combat he was also very skilled and powerful in use of the Force. He was trained in use of the Mind trick, Force persuasion and the more advanced Dominate Mind skill. As instructed by Qui-Gon Jinn's Force ghost, Kenobi eventually learned the ability to become a spirit after death, like his former Master. He would later put this skill to good use, guiding and counseling Luke Skywalker during the Rebellion. Kenobi was also capable of a very powerful Force Push, which he used consistently throughout the Clone Wars and against Grievous during their final duel in 19 BBY. He later displayed his mastery of Force Push during his duel with Darth Vader on Mustafar, as neither of them were able to overpower the other while simultaneously using the ability. The two struggled against each other for a short time, and though Kenobi was clearly giving ground, they both ended up being hurled in opposite directions across the room they were in. The fact that Vader's connection to the Force was, at the time, stronger than any known Force user in history further exemplifies Kenobi's mastery of the technique. Obi-Wan was capable of other telekinetic feats and could use the Force to increase his body's endurance and agility, amplifying his speed to such an extent that he could literally disappear from sight in a blur, either to avoid attacks or to strike first with his own. Kenobi was also capable of using the Force to perform extensive acrobatics, allowing him to leap huge distances and cover much more ground in a much shorter amount of time. Obi-wan was adept at the saber throw, as demonstrated during the Clone Wars to destroy a droideka. Star Wars: Clone Wars - Chapter 9 Apart from these impressive applications of the Force, Kenobi was known to be incredibly adept in the use of Animal friendship, allowing him to exert considerable influence over otherwise untamable beasts; indeed, during the Battle of Ryloth, the Jedi Master was able to calm and control a large group of starved, vicious and attacking gutkurrs. It is also possible that Kenobi used this power to create a connection between him and Boga, during the Battle of Utapau, which would account for the high level of loyalty the creature displayed towards him. In addition, Kenobi was able to use Force deflection as well as Force repulse to a remarkable degree. This was best seen during his fight with the bounty hunter Durge on Muunilinst. Deprived of his lightsaber, he was forced to deflect blasts from both a rapid-firing dart launcher and a flamethrower using only the Force. This is all the more impressive considering that flamethrowers were so difficult to counter with the Force that they were considered a favorite among Jedi hunters. He later demonstrated the ability to deflect blaster bolts from a Destroyer Droid with the Force. During that same battle, he was absorbed into Durge's body, but managed to use Force Repulse (or some variation of it), to destroy the bounty hunter's body from within. And although largely unused on anything other than droids, the Jedi Council member showed a masterful proficiency with the Force crush ability, a technique he used to dispatch pairs of assassin droids. Kenobi was also known to have some knowledge of Force absorption in his repertoire. To exactly what extent is unknown, but he was able to absorb several types of energy, including Force lightning.''Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'' video game Kenobi was also able to imitate sounds using the Force, like when he imitated a Krayt Dragon's roar scaring off the Tusken Raiders who were attacking Luke. Other abilities Obi-Wan Kenobi proved himself to be a great military strategist, which resulted in his attaining the rank of High General along with Mace Windu during the Clone Wars. He personally led his troops to many famous victories on worlds such as: Raxus Prime, Muunilinst and Utapau, as well as countless others. His persuasive demeanor earned him the moniker of "The Negotiator," and his tactical skills allowed the Republic to minimize Clone casualties during many of their battles. His use of Advanced Recon Commandos and Lance Troopers on Muunilinst were key elements to the victory of the Republic. His strategic ability was also shown in his lightsaber combat. Applying the principles of Soresu and Sokan, he often took advantage of his superior defensive capabilities and position on the battlefield to win his battles with as little effort exhausted as possible. He used this particular strategy to tire his former Padawan out and sever his legs and left arm on Mustafar. Despite his dislike of flying, Kenobi was an excellent pilot. As a Padawan, he was known as one of the greatest pilots in the Jedi Order, expressing great interest in the early Jedi starfighter program. During the Clone Wars, he led many attacks from the cockpit of his Jedi starfighter or his Jedi interceptor, often designated as Red Leader. He could repair all kinds of craft and machines as well as use computers to enhance his various skills. Constantly monitoring the hyperdrive generator of the Naboo Royal Starship, Obi-Wan readied the core for repairs. Obi-Wan then used his technical expertise to repair the hyperdrive on Queen Amidala's vessel. Kenobi also seemed to be a skilled hand to hand combatant. Trained at the Jedi Temple and having undergone extensive sparring matches with Masters Jinn and Windu, he developed a considerable level of skill in unarmed combat, enough so to outclass Pre Vizsla, leader of the Death Watch, in both their bouts of the lightsaber as well as their fists. During his duel with Jango Fett on Kamino, Kenobi was briefly deprived of his lightsaber, and fought the bounty hunter in unarmed combat. In his later years, Kenobi apparently learned to understand Shyriiwook''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'' novel and other alien languages. Lightsabers File:Obiwan saber2.jpg|Kenobi's first self-made lightsaber. File:Kenobi saber2.jpg|Kenobi's second self-made lightsaber. File:KenobiEpIIISaber-MR.jpg|Kenobi's final Lightsaber as of 19 BBY File:Obiwan saber.jpg|Kenobi's final lightsaber as of 0 BBY (which had been modified since 19 BBY). When Kenobi was a youngling and Padawan, he was given a lightsaber by an unknown Jedi, probably Yoda, for training. His first Padawan lightsaber accompanied him until an unknown circumstance. Kenobi built a new lightsaber based on the designs of his friend Quinlan Vos and his Master Qui-Gon Jinn. with his former apprentice.]] The second Padawan lightsaber was with him until the Battle of Naboo, when Darth Maul disarmed Kenobi and kicked his lightsaber down a generator shaft. To defeat the Sith, Kenobi used Force pull to reach for his fallen Master's discarded lightsaber and kill Maul. There were debates as to what happened to Kenobi's second Padawan lightsaber. Either he somehow retrieved his saber from the pit or replaced his lost one by making an exact replica. He used Jinn's lightsaber for an unknown amount of time. Ten years after his Master's death and the approval of his training of young Anakin Skywalker, Kenobi still used the same design as his second Padawan lightsaber. This lightsaber was lost when Kenobi was captured by the Separatists on Geonosis. During the Battle of Geonosis, he was given a temporary replacement by one of the Jedi in the task force that had come to rescue him, Skywalker and Senator Amidala. Kenobi later reacquired his own lightsaber and used it during the early part of the Clone Wars. After being promoted to the rank of Jedi Master, Kenobi built what was to be his final lightsaber. This last one was based on the design of his first Padawan saber. During his exile, he made some adjustments with its parts, such as changing the belt fastener from a clip to a ring. It was either built, or later customized, to work underwater. Even after his death, he left a journal of how to create a lightsaber. Luke used that journal to build his first lightsaber based on the design of Kenobi's. In the New Jedi Order, that design provided inspiration to the newer generations, like Jaina and Anakin Solo. 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